Coach's Corner

Coach's Corner

Coach’s Corner will be an extra special feature of this blog. We have some excellent pickleball coaches lined up to provide material for this special section of the site. Some of the writers will include George Brewer, Gale Leach, Mary Littlewood and our own Regional Ambassador, Neal Nighingale.

Mr. Pickleball, George Brewer, of The Villages, has written our first article in this series.

Coaching BY GEORGE

Every Wednesday afternoon I arrive at the pickleball courts a half hour before my weekly "coaching" class and prepare the courts for two (2)one hour sessions of intense pickleball instruction.

I take out my chalk and mark the courts with x’s, arrows, dots and dash’s. I draw broad/solid lines outlining exactly what part of the court each player is responsible to protect and the direction they are to move while on the court. When the players first arrive and see the chalked off courts, they are reluctant to even walk on the court much less play on them and are intrigued at what must be ahead of them. But, for the first time in their lives they are actually seeing the court. Their transformation has already begun.

Before play begins, I explain the markings and ask them to promise me they will play the way I ’ve asked them to for the next 45 minutes. No backhand shots are allowed. After honoring the 2-bounce rule they must never let the ball bounce again during the rally. Whenever possible, never play further than 2 feet from the non-volley zone line. When they return the serve from their baseline, they must be standing at their own NVZ line before their returned ball hit ’s their opponents court. I don’t just teach movement, I teach how, when and why to move.

Most important, they are taught to be a good partner. How to, and when to, communicate. How to play with a "lefty". How to reduce mistakes and create a distraction by just standing on the court in the proper position during serves and rallies.

If you ’re still awake after getting this far, you might be interested to know I have been asked to write more about coaching in future articles and I have accepted. Next time I plan to talk with you about what makes a good partner. I bet you know someone (other than you) who should be listening.



c u on d courts……. george brewer
Coaching%201%20by%20George%20Brewer.pdf